France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy are home to Europe’s best-known ski resorts, but they come with huge crowds and a premium price tag – which only seems to be getting higher. So it’s no surprise skiers are abandoning the usual resorts to their five-star clientele and looking for better value in other European destinations like Slovenia. Slovenia has several picturesque small-to-medium ski resorts surrounded by the majestic mountain peaks of the Slovenian Alps in the northern part of the country, most of which are under an hour’s drive from the nearest international airport. Skiing in Slovenia is much more rewarding and cheaper than you’d expect, accommodation and lift passes are very affordable, pistes are generally uncrowded and in terms of pure quality, the Slovenian ski resorts can compete with the best in the world.
Although most of the ski resorts are on the small-to-medium size, it’s possible to combine multiple resorts in a single trip (Kranjska Gora, Krvavec, Vogel, Kanin – Sella Nevea, Cerkno), allowing visitors to sample the unique terrain, warm welcome and culinary delights of each destination.
Skiing is never going to be a budget holiday, but compared to the big four in the European skiing scene (France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy) Slovenia is a bargain. You can book a cheap ski package but it’s easy to choose your own flights and accommodation to build your own holiday too.
While there are dozens of ski resorts in Slovenia, some stand out from the rest. Below, we have selected the best places for skiing in Slovenia.
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Overall Rating: Krvavec Ski Resort is the second-largest skiing area in Slovenia, located in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, just a half an hour's drive from the capital Ljubljana. The resort is located 10 km from Ljubljana's Joze Pucnik Airport (LJU) and is the nearest ski resort to an international airport in Europe. It has a total of 30 kilometres of ski runs at an elevation between 1,480 to 1,971 metres. There are all the required ski equipment rental, ski school and a lot of après-ski activities. Access is via a cable car. |
Overall Rating: Vogel Ski Resort is located above Lake Bohinj, Slovenia's largest lake, at an elevation between 560 and 1,800 meters. In all it has 22 kilometres of ski slopes and a snowboard park. To get to it you have to take the cable car. There is plenty of snow due to its altitude, and a longer-than-average season which runs from mid-November to the beginning of May. It's within the Triglav national park, one of the oldest national parks in Europe, so it's protected from development and artificial snow-making is not permitted. Slovenia's capital Ljubljana is about an hour away. |
Overall Rating: Kranjska Gora Ski Resort is the most famous Slovenian ski resort located in seven different areas in Kranjska Gora and the surrounding villages in the far northwestern corner of Slovenia, only a stone's throw from both the Italian and Austrian borders and about an hour's drive from the capital, Ljubljana. It has a total of 20 kilometres of ski runs at an elevation between 810 to 1,295 metres. There's also a snow fun park for snowboarders and a lovely sledding area. |
Overall Rating: Maribor Pohorje Ski Resort or Mariborsko Pohorje as it is called in Slovenian is the largest ski resort in the country, located at the Pohorje mountain range just south of the largest and most important city in the eastern part of the country, Maribor. It lies at an elevation between 325 and 1,327 metres and consists of three sections with a total of 41,5 kilometres of varied and well-kept ski runs. |
Overall Rating: Cerkno Ski Resort is located on the Crni Vrh hill, 10 kilometres north of the town of Cerkno in western Slovenia, and about an hour's drive from Slovenia's capital Ljubljana. It's one of the more modern in the country, served by 6 chair lifts, one T-bar and one J-bar. It has a total of 18 kilometres of ski runs at an elevation between 800 to 1,300 metres. There's a good mix of beginner, intermediate and more advanced runs. The resort also has a snow fun park for snowboarders. |
Overall Rating: Rogla Ski Resort is located near the town of Zrece at the top of the Zresko Pohorje hills in northeastern Slovenia. It's one of the most visited ski resorts in the country and has 13,5 kilometres of ski slopes at an elevation between 1,050 to 1,517 metres. It guarantees over 100 days of skiing a year. Snowboarders and freestyle skiers can challenge themselves in the fun park with 15+ slopestyle elements, a half-pipe, earth-shaped 'kickers', and two 'big air' ski jumps. |
Overall Rating: Perched high above the town of Bovec and the picturesque Soca valley, Kanin is the highest ski resort in Slovenia offering skiing at an elevation between 1,140 and 2,300 meters. It can be accessed by a cable car, which runs from Bovec's southern outskirts. In 2009 it was connected to the Sella Nevea ski centre on the Italian side by a modern cable-car lift, making it Slovenia's only cross-border resort. The resort has a total of 30 kilometres of ski slopes for all levels, from complete beginners to advanced skiers and snowboarders. It's known for having the longest ski season in Slovenia, which can last from late November until early May. |
Overall Rating: Golte Ski Resort is located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, just above the small town of Mozirje in northern Slovenia and about an hour's drive from Slovenia's capital Ljubljana. It has almost 13 kilometres of ski slopes at an elevation between 1,250 to 1,600 metres. |